1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector for coupling portion of a card (referred simply below to as “IC card”), in which an integrated circuit is built, to a circuit board of an electronic equipment or the like, and more particular, to a card connector comprising an ejection mechanism that assists in inserting and withdrawing an IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
A push-push type ejection mechanism constructed to enable readily and surely inserting and withdrawing an IC card is well known in the prior art as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-251024.
With the card connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-251024, a card accommodating space is formed by a base member formed from an insulating, synthetic resin, and a cover member formed from a metal or a synthetic resin. Also, the push-push type ejection mechanism substantially comprises an ejection member formed from a synthetic resin, a compression coil spring, a heart cam mechanism, and a swinging arm. The ejection member abuts against an IC card and moves together with the IC card along a side wall of the base member in the card accommodating space of the card connector. The ejection member is biased by the compression coil spring arranged on the base member in a direction in which the IC card is withdrawn. The heart cam mechanism is formed on the base member and one end of the swinging arm is guided in a cam groove of the heart cam mechanism. In addition, the other end of the swinging arm is held by the ejection member to be able to swing.
Further, in order to prevent the IC card from jumping out of the card connector when the IC card is withdrawn, a feeling lock member attached to the ejection member is conventionally proposed.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-251024 or the like, there is a limitation on material strength in the case where the ejection member is formed from a synthetic resin, and so there is a need of increasing the ejection member in thickness and width with the result that it is made difficult to make a card connector small in size and thickness. Also, the swinging arm and the feeling lock member are fabricated as separate members from the ejection member and attached to the ejection member whereby an increase in the number of parts and manufacturing processes is brought about. Further, since the ejection member is structured to move along the side wall of the base member made from a synthetic resin, there is a fear that the side wall is abrades and damaged when an IC card is repeatedly inserted and withdrawn.
It is an object of the invention to solve such problem and to provide a card connector having a metallic ejection member, which is simple in structure and easy to manufacture.